


what happens when this whole place breaks apart

by NepetaLeijon27



Series: falling is like flying [A3 Madoka AU] [2]
Category: A3! (Video Game), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23314255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NepetaLeijon27/pseuds/NepetaLeijon27
Summary: When the Winter Faction loses its Leader, you are determined to find the one fated to be its next Leader. However, you didn't think at first that it would lead into so much trouble.
Series: falling is like flying [A3 Madoka AU] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676620
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

'Homare! Watch out, it's aiming for you!' 

Azuma cries out for you from the other side of the center room. In a split second, you turn around and cut off another part of the witch with two swift slashes. 'Got it!', you shout. 'Activating it now!' 

Outside of your awareness, Hisoka looks up and then jumps out of the way. You relegate your focus to the witch, and the witch alone. Every sound drowns out, and you cannot even hear Azuma or Hisoka. 

'...' You continue to slash the target in front of you, beating it until it finally disappears. The street reappears again, and your senses are no longer able to shut out anything - the Northern Districts are cold as always.

'...that was the Deputy, huh.', Azuma sighs. Both him and you are covered in witch blood. 'He followed suit after our Leader. Winter Faction's down to us and Guy.'

You stand up and give the once used Grief Seed to him as you transform back. 'We don't have much choice but put me as the Leader for now, huh?' You coerce the others into naming you Leader - although you know that that is very much against the rules.

'You're no Black Tortoise.', Hisoka mumbles. 'Can't even control water.'

'Hey!', you protest. 'None of us can! And clearly, I am the best cho-'

Azuma crosses his arms and cuts off your sentence. 'He's right.', As he says that, he looks away. 'We have to wait until the Yellow Dragon chooses a Puer Magi who will get Water Control through a contract with the incubator.'

'And only She knows how long that will last. Let's just hope that that isn't long.'

'The Yellow Dragon is known for taking Her sweet time.', Hisoka says as you head back to base. You see that none of the passerbies have any idea of the trouble you are in. 'Don't expect anything soon, so you don't have to call Her...Azuma.'

You look at Azuma and sees that he has dialed Her number and has already started the call. 'I'm not asking Her to hasten, Hisoka.', he says. 'We'll have to postpone meetings too.'

'Oh, yeah.', You slowly nod. 'Forgot about that.'

Back inside the base, you return to your bedroom to compose some more poetry. Overlooking the city as you sit at your desk, you look down at the street life, people as tiny as ants from your perspective. Normally, inspiration should come almost immediately when doing that. But now...

'Arisu?' Suddenly, you hear Hisoka behind you. You turn around and see that he is standing a few meters away from you.

'What's it?'

'You've been acting a little off since the deaths of the Deputy and the Leader. It's keeping you busy, isn't it?' Hisoka slowly walks closer to you and sits down on the bed. 

You don't even try to hide it in front of Hisoka. You know that he's a lazy bum, so he will likely fall asleep on your bed, but you don't mind. 'Yes, it is.', you admit. 'I'm a little bit concerned that the Yellow Dragon doesn't choose anyone in time...'

'I get it.', As you predicted, Hisoka plops down on the mattress. 'Without a Leader and a Deputy and lacking anyone with the requirements to become Leader...conflicts are waiting to happen.'

'And we have to prevent that.', You stand up and clench your fist holding your feather pen. 'Hisoka, starting tomorrow, we're going to hunt all day. I'll buy thirty bags of marshmallows tomorrow, so you can't refuse.'

* * *

And so, the next day, you and Hisoka cross the Northern Districts. You both doubt that a Puer Magi with water magic would be here this soon, but the Winter Faction has always had the task of protecting the herd that had no idea of magic even existing. You give Hisoka another marshmallow as you are done cleansing your Soul Gem for the fourth time today. 

'It's going swell, huh.', you say carefully. 'I did not expect anything less. I'm here, after all!'

You see that Hisoka rolls his eyes, but does not react on it other than a small mumble. '...There's another one nearby.' You hear that. 

'Well, let's track it down, then.' you say. You decide to lay your trust in Hisoka - for some reason, he has always been good in finding witch barriers like there's no tomorrow. 

Hisoka does so, and eventually, you two step into another barrier not far from the last one. 'Don't you feel that?' Hisoka says when you're halfway through. 

'Feel what?' you ask.

Hisoka holds up his index finger. 'Another magic trail. Someone's in here or has been here, I vaguely remember this trail. But I don't recall who it belongs to exactly.'

'Now you say it.', You react, while still being aware of your surroundings. 'Let's just carry on. We'll see.' Hisoka shrugs and continues in the barrier, showing that he agrees with your decision.

A few minutes later, you are about to step into the central room. 'The trail's active.', Hisoka says as another familiar falls at his feet. You have just slashed through another one. 'And-'

He hasn't got time to answer his sentence as a katana flashes by in the blink of an eye, cutting down a familiar in Hisoka's near vicinity. It accidentally cuts off a few white hairs of Hisoka, too. 

'Ah! I'm sorry!' A voice rings out, and a Puer Magi shows himself. Above him is a floating girl with grey eyes and unkempt silvery hair with grey wolf ears. A pink glow emits from her. 

'Itaru!', Hisoka now remembers to whom the trail belongs. 'What are you doing in the Northern Districts?'


	2. Chapter 2

'Well...I work in the Northern Districts just over the border, but I live in the Eastern Districts.', he says. 'I'm a commuter.'

'I get it.', you say while lowering your dagger at him. 'You must have ran into a witch when going home.'

'Exactly.', Itaru speaks. 'Also, I'm sorry for that, Hisoka. You weren't hit?'

Hisoka shakes his head. 'No, just barely missed.' he says as he points at his head. 

'It should be all right then.', Itaru smiles. 'Right, Lappland?' The ethereal wolf girl floating next to him just nods. 

'You're still as much of a gamer as I remember you...', Hisoka sighs. 'You even modeled your magic to look like a mobile game character...'

'Shush.', Itaru's voice hardens. 'It's serious business. And she definetely helps with cutting up that witch over there.' 

* * *

Together with Itaru, you manage to slay the witch. Afterwards, you explain the situation.

'I see.', He slowly nods. 'That's quite the pickle you're in. I hope that you'll find the one soon. Winter Faction's just four now, huh?'

'It is.', you say regretfully. 'But we hope we'll be back to six soon.'

Itaru transforms back and the wolf girl disappears. 'It's time for me to head back to base.', he says. 'But I'll be rooting for you.'

'Thank you.' you say. Although you know he can't do much about the situation either, it is always nice to know someone outside of your own Faction roots for you.

* * *

The next day, you find yourself all out of marshmallows. 'Hisoka...', you sigh. 'Did you just eat all those bags of marshmallows at once?' Hisoka just nods. 

Azuma is standing behind him. 'I saw it happening.', he says. 'They were gone in no time.'

'Gods, Hisoka...', You grab your wallet from the drawer. 'I gotta buy new marshmallows sooner than I thought. And I think that I'll settle for fifty bags instead.'

'There goes our budget...' you hear Azuma mumble, as you head out.

* * *

'Let's see...' You make your way to the sweets part as you see someone already standing there. You pay them no mind and scan through the candy and chocolate for the marshmallows. But...

'What?' There are no more bags of marshmallows left, and your shout as you see that, unintentionally wakes the attention of the other customer. They come walking towards you.

'What's the matter?' they ask you. You look up at them and see a young man with short blue hair in a grey jacket standing next to you. Around his neck is a collar of sorts, but you can barely see it. 

'I was looking to get marshmallows.', you sigh. 'And they're gone from the face of this world! Why, oh why?'

You step aside to let the man take a look. He reaches out to the very back of the shelf, only to come up empty. As he pulls his left hand back, you see a silver ring with a light blue gem in it around his middle finger. This makes it so that the marshmallows have left your focus entirely. 

'Where did you get that silver ring from, if I may ask?'

'Th-this?', The man points at it and goes red in the face. 'This, eh...is an heirloom!'

'Strange.', you say as you show him your own. 'Because I have one too.'

'Oh...', The man suddenly comes uncomfortably close to you and gets a hold of your jacket. As he looks into your eyes, you see that his eyes sport a particularly dead glare. 'Too bad.' In one swift move, he lets go, turns around and runs out of the shop. 

Since you don't have any business in the shop anymore either, you run after him, but outside of the shop, you lose track of him quickly. 

'Well...', you sigh when breathing heavily. 'That was weird.' You shrug and head back to base: at least you can tell Hisoka there are no more marshmallows.

* * *

'You're lying.' Hisoka is, predictably, not taking the news well. 

'I'm not.', you say, still exhausted from the short and heavy chase. 'Take a look for yourself if you don't believe me.'

Hisoka mumbles. 'Don't wanna...'

'You sound like you've been running hard.', Azuma switches the topic. 'Did you encounter a witch?'

'You're right, I've been running.' you answer and tell them about what happened. 

Azuma crosses his arms. 'Hmm. That was certainly unusual. Can't say I know anyone who looks like that.'

'Me neither...' Hisoka's denial only further proves your theory that this man is a recently contracted.

'I wonder if Guy knows him. I could call him.' Azuma asks for approval, but has already picked up his phone.

'He's at the other side of the Northern Districts. Maybe there's something over there we aren't aware of. We can at least try.' you say. Hisoka just nods.

But...

'No. This is new for him, too.', Azuma says as he ends the call. 'It could be that he knew you were from the Winter Faction as soon as he saw your ring.'

You're interested in that hypothesis. 'From where do you think that?' you ask him.

'Why would he react like that and run away?', Azuma cracks a small grin. 'That reaction was strange, wasn't it?'

You slowly nod as you get what he's talking about. 'You're right.'


	3. Chapter 3

That afternoon, you and Hisoka have trouble finding more witches. You have told him that you will pay him back in marshmallows eventually.

'It is as if someone told them to stay away from the Northern Districts...' Hisoka sighs. Both of you are still searching around, without any results yet.

'Don't make me theorize.', you say. 'It only blurs our outlook further.'

As you turn the corner, you run into a very familiar Puer Magi. 'Itaru! On your way home, I assume?' you greet him. 

Itaru is still in Puer Magi form, and Lappland is still with him. 'Yeah, I thought, that I could go for another hunt when going home. But they won't bite.'

'⌜A real shame if you ask me.⌟', Suddenly, the wolf girl speaks. '⌜I was waiting to cut something up today!⌟'

She smiles, frightening you a little. 'Is...is that how she always is?' you ask Itaru.

'Well, I modeled her personality to that of the game character.', Itaru shrugs. 'It was practically a necessity. However, she'll do anything I tell her.'

'⌜Such a pain in the ass.⌟' she sighs.

'...anyway.', Hisoka is noticably uncomfortable with the topic. 'This morning, Arisu encountered a particularly strange Puer Magi in civilian form in the shop. Blue eyes, short dark blue hair.'

Itaru takes a slight bit of time to think, then says: 'Hmmm. Can't say I know him. But I can ask Sakuya if he knows more. Although I'm traveling every day across the border, our Leader has a clearer picture of what's going on Eastern Districts. He's a very extrovert, sociable guy. Maybe the man's from there and doesn't yet know about the territoria. And if Sakuya doesn't know either...he could always ask the Yellow Dragon.'

'That's an option. Could you do that?', you ask him. You think you could go for a view from the bigger picture, one you cannot take on your own. 'After all, only Leaders are permitted to talk to the Yellow Dragon. And since we don't have a Leader and our deputy became a witch before he could take on our Leader's powers...'

'I get'cha.', Itaru cuts your explanation short, showing that he is aware of the situation too. 'Well, I'll be on my way, then. I'm going to ask him immediately.'

As he is about to turn away, he tells you goodbye and parts his way.

'I just hope it comes fast...', Hisoka shakes his head as you walk back to base. 'Even if he doesn't know either, it's at least tried...'

'He can't do more than his very best either.', You add to it. 'And although the Yellow Dragon is very powerful, She isn't almighty.'

'Sometimes I wonder why the rules for Factions are so strict.', you admit. 'I get it, not everyone is fit to be Leader. But elemental magic...really?'

'Hmm. You're right.', Hisoka answers. 'What if someone has a lot of leadership qualities, but doesn't have the magic the rules say they must have?'

You know the answer on that. 'Then they can't be Leader.', you say. 'Despite everything.'

'Are you asking this because you actually want to be Leader?' Hisoka squints.

You hold up your hands in denial - you don't want to let Hisoka think that your idle musings have a deeper layer. 'N-no, not at all!', you say as you enter a silent backstreet. 'I was just thinking...'

'Good.' You see Hisoka prepares to transform back, and you are about to do that, too. But then...

'There you are!' Suddenly, the man you saw in the shop appears in front of you. You block Hisoka with your arm, signifying he has to stay back. The man is in Puer Magi form, but you don't grab a weapon since he seems unarmed. He has a very calm look on his face and in this form, you can see that his sclerae are pitch black.

As he still doesn't talk, but just keeps standing in front of you, you speak up. 'What the hell is up with you? Why did you act like that back in the shop?'

'None of your business.', the man snarls. 'You shouldn't have been there anyway. I should never have met you in the first place. I know who you are.' His hand goes to the charm around his neck, hanging just below the golden collar with a bluish purple gem in it. In one swift move, it changes into a syringe gun. At that, you summon your daggers and Hisoka does the same with his scythe. Without any further ado, the man starts firing. 

'You're on thin ice, talking to Arisu like that!' Hisoka warns the man, who seems largely unfazed by it. 

'Don't, Hisoka!' You want to prevent that Hisoka gets impulsive and does anything rash. A quick look he sends you, confirms you he won't do that. However, you are a close-range fighter, and Hisoka is close to mid range. As of now, the man is outside of your range. 

'We have no choice but to face him head-on!' you say to Hisoka via telepathy. He simply nods in response.

Hisoka is better in dodging than you are, owing to his past. Still, you try to get close to the man, too. Everytime you think he is running out of ammo, he fires another syringe your way. You wonder how it is possible, but you have no time to think about that. 

You turn around in the avoiding of another one, as Hisoka shouts: 'Arisu!' He suddenly jumps in front of you, between you and the man. 

'What...?' You don't realize why he did that, as a syringe with blue fluid hits Hisoka in the neck. He is still looking at you with a wry smile, but that doesn't last longer than a second before he collapses at your feet. Then, you finally get it. _That syringe was meant for me_.

'Hisoka!' you shout, and want to kneel down to take care for him. But the man is faster. He grabs Hisoka, looks up at you with a confident gaze, and then disappears as he is taking him away.

The sight leaves you stunned for a few moment, until it finally starts to land. You drop on your knees and start to cry. 

'Hisoka...'


	4. Chapter 4

You cry for the next five minutes or so, until you decide that you should tell Azuma. 'I should go back...that's what he would have wanted...'

And so, you are alone when you walk back to base.

'Homare, you're back! But where is Hisoka?' Azuma closes the door behind you as you enter the old corporate building. 

'He's...he's...', You hide your face in your hands. 'He's...gone.'

Azuma embraces you, and you don't even try to stop him from. 'What happened? Tell me.' Azuma pats you on the back and talks in the same calm manner as always. 

Crying, you tell him what happened. That the strange Puer Magi showed up, and that he took Hisoka after he took a hit meant for you. 

'Homare...I'm so sorry...', he sighs. He still hasn't let you go. 'We'll bring Hisoka back. No matter what.' He steels his resolve just like that and you loosen your grip. He does the same.

'If we know more about that Puer Magi, we'll find out his base eventually, if he has one.', Azuma suggests. 'And you said that Itaru is on that?'

'Y-yes...', you say. 'God...'

'You can go to bed, if you want.' he says. _That's Azuma as I know him_ , you think. 

'I will.' You already open the door to your room. The light of the afternoon sun is still coloring your bedroom, but you don't mind and close the curtains. As you sit down on your bed to lie down, your thoughts still run back to Hisoka. _Just a week ago, he was here_...

* * *

Not long after, you wake up. But...

'What the hell?', You see that everything around you has disappeared. Instead, you are standing in the middle of a grey mist stretching as far as you can see. 'What's this?' In front of you, a silhouette appears. It's vague, but if you had to say one thing about it, you would say it's exactly yours. 'Who are you? What are you doing here?' you shout. 

**Answer me honestly. Do you think they love you?**

It ignores your questions and instead gives you one. 'Do I think they...huh?' You honestly don't know how to answer this.

**Seems like you don't know the answer.**

'The...answer?'

 **Well, I do. They don't. You see, you all treat others the same way. Never batting an eye as to what** **_they_ ** **might think and feel.**

You are taken aback by that comment. 'T-that's not true!', you react as you flinch. 'Why the hell are you talking about that anyway?'

The silhouette comes closer and you see it's just a shadowy version of you. 

**You act like you're perfect. But you don't realize you miss a very vital something.**

It stops coming closer until you basically can feel its breath. 'W-what?'

**A heart.**

Before you can reply at that, it slowly but steadily changes, until a witch is in front of you. 'The hell...'

**No one will ever love you again. You understand?**

'Ah...aaah!' you shout, and everything gets dark before your eyes.

* * *

'You okay?' As you wake up, you see that Azuma is sitting at the edge of your bed.

'I...I...' Your sentence goes down in a sigh as you realize that that was just a bad dream. _I've heard about this. They said that when you're close to becoming a witch...you'll get strange dreams._

Azuma deeply breathes in and out. 'You had a nightmare, I guess?' You nod. 'Do you want me to use my magic on you so you won't get one again?' 

'Y-yeah...'

* * *

Later that day, you meet up with Itaru. This time, just to be sure, you have chosen a green spot to do that amongst the grey concrete that is the Northern Districts - the park.

'Oh man...Homare, I'm sorry...that that had to happen.', Itaru apologizes once you and Azuma tell him everything that happened when he left. 'Are you okay now?'

'I...think so.', you say, pausing a little. 'I'm okay.'

Suddenly, Lappland speaks up. '⌜You're lying.⌟' she says, with a strict tone in her - Asami Imai's - voice. That surprises you. 

'...you're right.', you sigh. 'How did you pick that up?'

'Don't question it.', Itaru answers before Lappland can. 'As a side note, your flower isn't doing so great anymore too. If I were you, I'd get a Grief Seed STAT.'

You take a look at your Soul Gem and admit you remember days it's looked better. 'I can get some for you.' Azuma offers, but you don't want even more people sacrificing themselves for you.

'That would be nice, but...thanks. Not saying I don't trust you, but...', you want to prevent a misunderstanding. 'It's kinda worrying you're all laying down your lives for someone like me.'

'Don't worry.', Azuma closes his eyes. 'I'll call Guy to come over from the other side of the Northern Districts. We can hunt together, then.'

You take a deep breath. 'I...guess that's okay, then.' 

'You've got a good friend in Azuma.' Itaru compliments both him and you. 

Azuma smiles. 'I bet Spring Faction must be nice too.'


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours in the past, but not many.

As you open your eyes, there are two people who look down on you. One of them seems to be the man who shot you, you don't recognize the other. 

'Look who's finally there.', your attacker speaks. 'And I thought you were a heavy sleeper.'

Your eyes focus, and you see that the other has short black hair, with a green light to it. They have a tall and muscular physique, and that is certainly something you will remember. Their costume looks like a suit, nicely matching up with your attacker's veil. The room you are in is not very well-lit, but you can discern colors. You don't recognize it, but it may be an old factory, if you had to make a guess. _Am I in the Western Districts?_

'Name is Mikage, right?', the stranger says and bows down to look you in the eyes. Your hands are still restrained, but you can nod. Once is enough. 'Let's make this thing easier. Name's Tasuku, and he there is Tsumugi.', He points with his thumb to the other man. 'You gotta remember our names, because that will certainly come of help.'

Tsumugi grabs you again, forcing you to stand up. Tasuku walks towards you, and you have no choice to back down against the wall. You don't want to ask what they're doing, afraid it'll trigger a violent response. 

Tasuku gets a hold of your left hand and moves his kukri close to it. 'I bet you want to live.', he growls, while looking in your eyes with an unforgiving expression. When he's this close, you can see that he wears the same collar as Tsumugi. 'I'm tired of your crap, Mikage. So-'

But then, he falls silent. You wonder what cut off his sentence, since you and Tsumugi did not say anything and there is no sign of anyone coming in. Tasuku stops dead in his tracks, and less than a second afterwards, his eyes are glowing solid blue light. 

'What...the hell...' you dare to whisper. You hear Tsumugi gasping, and guess that he is also surprised. 

' _I am here_. _Hisoka_.'

Tasuku speaks to you, but it is not the rugged voice you heard before. It also sounds like it is coming from very far away, yet with the force of a waterfall. You have no idea who it belongs to.

'Tasuku, you-' Tsumugi tries to talk to him, but Tasuku - or rather, what has gotten into him, interrupts him. 

' _He needs you, Hisoka. I can't hold this long, but I will try. You have to get away from here, it's Reni, he will\- _'

All of a sudden, Tasuku gathers the force to break through. 'It hurts I can't breathe I-'

Then, the glow disappears from his eyes. Tasuku goes limp, falling like a doll. The kukri is still in his hand, but his grip has loosened. 

You have no idea what just happened, but it is enough to alarm Tsumugi.

'This is bad. Very bad.'

He holds his hands in front of you, forming a square around you with his thumb and index finger, and before you know it, things go black again.

* * *

Back in the here and now...

Itaru did not take long. The day after, he messages you, telling you to meet him at the same place at the same time. 

'So, I hope you asked Sakuya to go to the Yellow Dragon.', you cut to the chase. 'Did it have any result?'

Itaru nods. 'Yeah, Sakuya's a great guy.', he points up. 'He did as I told. And here's the thing.'

Azuma, who is standing next to you, has noticed that your heart is racing, but you do your best not to reveal that. Lappland, however, licks her lips because she also does, and you're afraid it kind of entices her.

But luckily, Itaru cuts through the tension. 'According to the Yellow Dragon, that man is Tsumugi Tsukioka, the next Black Tortoise.'


	6. Chapter 6

'Oh...that's, uhh...' You can't believe it, but you're at a loss for words.

Azuma looks at Itaru, at Lappland, and then back at you. 'What do you say we do?'

You're still stuck in the moment, but you break through after a second or so. 'We have to find him either way. He took Hisoka, and we don't know where.'

'⌜I may be able to help with that.⌟', Suddenly, Lappland speaks up. However, you see that Itaru, while he is not talking, is making the expression that goes with that line, as if he's suddenly a ventriloquist. He keeps doing that while she speaks.

'⌜If you give me something from them, I can track them down no sweat. And don't worry, I'll be invisible to anyone other than you, so...⌟'

Azuma is still thinking. 'Hmm, that does sound good, but I don't think we've got anything that's-'

'...maybe we do.', You think back at when you last saw him. 'Follow me.'

While Azuma and Itaru follow you towards the backstreet where Hisoka was taken, you hear Lappland arguing with the Spring member.

'⌜Dude, stop putting your words in my mouth, for god's sake!⌟', she complains. '⌜You know that I don't like you, do you?⌟'

'Is everything alright there?' you ask, and Itaru replies:

'Yeah, this is totally normal.', You think you hear a laugh in his voice. 'It's exactly how she was like originally.'

Not long after...

'This is where I and Hisoka were attacked.', you explain, and see Azuma nodding once in understanding. 'If we're lucky, there should be...'

You look around, and quickly find what you search for. 'Ah, just like I thought.' You hold up the object, a half-full (or half-empty, just how you look at it) syringe which you recognize as fired from Tsumugi's weapon.

'You told me he used a syringe gun.', Azuma remembers from when you told him everything. 'And I'm guessing that's just stray ammo, right?'

'If it is, there isn't a lot of it.' Itaru looks around too.

'He was somewhat of a sniper.', you justify that with your memory. 'He only fired a few shots. Not all of them hit, though.'

You hold your fingertip to the very end of the syringe, and feel that it isn't sharp. 'It has to be.', You walk over to Lappland, who takes it. 'This syringe's tip is blunt. While most Puer Magi who summon multiple weapons or use ammo like this, the thrown weapon becomes blunt once it is fired to prevent others throwing it back.'

Itaru nods slowly. 'Just like the Romans did with their spears. Although that was likely a lucky coincidence.'

Azuma seems to be surprised by that knowledge. 'You know that?'

'There's quite the number of games out there that focus on Classical Antiquity.' Itaru shrugs, and you can practically see the disappointment on Azuma's face.

'Anyway, Lappland, I hope this will do?' You steer the conversation back. She nods, and then bolts forward. 

'I bet that that's a good sign?' Azuma asks. 

'It is.', Itaru looks up. 'We've got to follow her.'

While you all follow Lappland, Azuma makes a comment that makes you think. 

'You'll be of use again, Homare. You are the one who has seen this man before.' 

'Oh, yeah.', you wonder. 'You're right. I only described him to you in the past.'

Itaru looks back at you. 'If she stops moving, you can pinpoint who it is.', he says. 'We're close to crossing the border with the Western Districts. I'm making a call to the White Tiger to notify we're here.' He grabs his phone and starts dialing a number.

'The current White Tiger...who's that again?' you ask. 

'It should be Sakyo.', Azuma answers. 'The position switched over to him not that long ago.'

You nod quickly in response. Not long after that, Itaru makes the same gesture to you. 'The White Tiger knows we're here.', he says. 'It's alright. With that problem out of the way, the one we seek should be near.'

He is right, and Lappland soon stops moving. '⌜This is as far as his trail goes.⌟', she says. '⌜It doesn't go anywhere further. It's being blurred by some other trails.⌟'

'But...', you say as you look at what's in front of you now. 'This is a witch barrier.' You point at the glowing seal.

Lappland shrugs and looks at you with a bored expression. '⌜Exactly.⌟'

You don't want to think of the possibility that Lappland led you here due to her bloodthirsty character. 'Let's go, then.' You ready your weapons, and Azuma transforms as well.

'For Hisoka!' You clench your teeth and then step forward, entering the barrier.


	7. Chapter 7

Azuma and Itaru follow after you, and you quickly adjust to the new environment.

'This...looks pretty.', Azuma appreciates the pretty colors, but with wariness in his voice. 'Kind of my aesthetic.'

'Don't be distracted.', you say. 'Lappland is right. He's here, it's his trail. Not very far from here.' You point up. Lappland smiles proudly.

'You should have become detectives.'

Suddenly, a man appears in front of you. 'Tsumugi!', you recognize him. 'What did you do with Hisoka? Where did you take him?'

He effortlessly dodges the rapid fire questions and simply states: 'He should be around. But, we're not alone...'

That sharpens your awareness, and not without reason, as a group of familiars come your way. You make quick work of them with swift slashes, and Lappland cleaves them apart with her katanas. You see that she has also a bit of range, and you like that.

'Is this all you can do?', Azuma smirks. 'Using a witch as your defense. How handy.'

'Azuma, don't taunt him!' you hiss, as you don't want to get any rash movements from Tsumugi.

But before he can say anything, Lappland takes her chance to speak. '⌜That collar of yours gives off massive dark energy.⌟', she growls, and contorts her face in disgust. '⌜Like Originium, but worse. Let me take care of that!⌟' 

She rushes forward, and attacks Tsumugi head-on, grazing at his costume. 'Haha, you missed...huh?'

His glee over Lappland seemingly missing him soon disappears as he finds himself back in his civilian clothing. Itaru simply smiles as Lappland keeps grazing at him. Tsumugi can barely keep up. 

Itaru explains the mechanics in telepathy, to keep the surprise a little longer to Tsumugi. ' _After she hits him, he won't be able to use any magic seven seconds long_.', he smiles. ' _She takes as less as 1.3 seconds between hits, so..._ '

' _As long as she keeps hitting him, he won't be able to do anything involving magic_.' You smile back at him. This handy turn of events helps you focus on the surrounding familiars.

'⌜Ah, just a little bit...more!⌟' Lappland smiles, and slashes the gem inside the collar Tsumugi is wearing. He falls over, but does not stay down for long. 

'What...what am I doing?'

That takes you and Azuma back. 'Do you remember who you are?' Azuma takes it up professionally as always. 

'I'm Tsumugi Tsukioka...oh, no. It comes back to me now...', He then sees you. 'I hurt you, and I hurt Hisoka...'

You look at Azuma and Lappland, then back to Tsumugi. 'This wasn't your doing?'

Tsumugi shakes his head. 'No. I'll explain later. My battle partner, Tasuku, is further down the barrier. He should be with Hisoka.' You realize that Tsumugi's character has changed completely. He seems very demure to you now, in contrast to the ice king he was before. That makes you think that the gem in the collar he wore had some power to alter his behavior, like Lappland insinuated.

'Does he also have a collar?' Itaru asks, and Tsumugi simply nods in response. Together, you make your way throughout the barrier. It looks like a drawing from a fairy tale book, but alive.

Close to the center room, you spot another Puer Magi, dressed in black. Just like Tsumugi told you, he wears the same collar he did. 

'That must be Tasuku.' you say. Azuma gestures you to stay back, and works his magic. Not even a second later, Tasuku drops unconscious.

'We are close to the center.', Tsumugi states the obvious, while you destroy the gem inside Tasuku's collar with one of your daggers. 'Hisoka is there.'

'Then, let's get moving.', You don't want to waste any more time rescuing Hisoka. 'Tsumugi, take care of Tasuku.'

'R-roger!'


	8. Chapter 8

While he helps Tasuku realize what's happening, you have entered the center room. There, you also see the witch. 

'This...doesn't really look dangerous.', you remark, but a second later, you have to apply a correction. 'Eh, the disembodied hands aside.' However, this makes you even more aware of the possible danger it could be. You look around and spot Hisoka, not far off from the witch. You don't know if he's unconscious or dead, as he looks either.

'There's no reason waiting now.', you say as you look to the other Puer Magi. 'I'm going in. Tsumugi, I won't be able to hear or see you after I activate my magic.' He nods, and Azuma gives you the same. You rush forward, and activate your Focus, just as you told them.

You have always felt that Focus is easy to use. The steps are not that hard, but you know you have to follow them always: warn the others, put it on, and let your body do the work. During it, you have felt ease at dodging and blocking, so you have often referred to it as letting it go on auto-pilot. However, there has always been a strange side-effect.

_ Why are you hurting me? _

The witches have a tendency to make use of the opportunity to imprint an image of their old selves in your mind while talking to you. You haven't been able to get rid of that. 

_ I was just so happy when you came in! _

An image of a young boy enters your mind. He has bright blue eyes and dyed red hair. You gasp. 'Taichi...?' you whisper. You remember a bit about him being a member of the Autumn Faction. But the young boy reprimands you not to do that.

_ Do not call me by that name. I am not him. My name is Aurelia. _

You think it is ironic, that you, an unfeeling cyborg, had magic with the side-effect of witches putting their feelings in your head. Your first assumption turns out to be just about right; this witch is not harmful at its bare base. Rather...

_ This is my world, so you have to play by my rules. Now, get here. I won't hurt you. I'll make you into such a pretty doll for me to play with... _

But your Focus makes sure you won't get caught. You jump over the obstacles the witch throws your way, swiftly and agile. You know she hopes to block you at a certain point, so she can grab you easily. 'I'm not letting that happen...!'

_ What are you doing...? I...don't want to go...! _

You break the mirror at the center of its body using all the force you have. That appears to be the trick. Everything around you disappears, as the barrier fades away. The image of the young boy is gone as well. You're now just in an abandoned building, like many in the Western Districts. You wonder how the Autumn Faction is able to keep an eye on which one is their base.

Your Focus slips away from you like sand between your fingers. And that brings you back to...

'Hisoka?' You see that the others are still there, and Hisoka is in Azuma's arms. 

'He'll be alright.', Azuma reassures you. 'You missed a whole lot.'  Another, more logical side-effect of the magic is that you always miss what the others are up to. 

'You should use your water magic more.', Tasuku comments on Tsumugi's fighting style. 'It's pretty cool.'

'I know, but I'm not such a show-off. Luckily it also works on the fluid inside my syringe gun.'

'It's normal for me to miss things.', you say. 'What happened to Hisoka to get so messed up?'

While you walk back to your base, they tell you everything. 

'To explain what happened to Hisoka, we need to go back all the way to our childhood.'


	9. Chapter 9

'Tsumugi and I are childhood friends.' Tasuku keeps his eyes on the road in front of him.

Tsumugi nods. 'Yeah. Where he was, I could also be found.'

'But there was that one day.', Tasuku points up. 'Tsumugi was strangely aloof, and not really nice. I wondered if it was a prank of some sorts. But then he started talking about wanting to die and I knew shit had hit the fan.'

You catch on what happened. 'You got a witch kiss.' you say, looking at Tsumugi, who nods.

Tasuku knows that. 'He got one, yes.', he says. 'However, back then, I had no idea. I followed him, because I was worried. And the strangest thing just happened. He walked in, in what I would later realize was a witch barrier. I immediately felt that this could not be right.'

'And...'

'I wanted to save him. An incubator happened to be there, and asked me if I really wanted that. I agreed, of course, and I made the contract.'

Itaru nods. 'So, that is what your wish was. But did Tsumugi know?'

Tasuku opens his mouth to answer that question, but Tsumugi is quicker. 'I did not.', he says. 'I don't remember being witch-kissed, but I do remember that the time after that was just a blur. I knew at a certain point that I had been through something, due to the obvious signs my body was giving me. I didn't knew Tasuku saved me.'

'But now you do.', you point to him. 'How did that happen?'

'It would not happen until a year later.' Tsumugi remembers. 

Tasuku's expression is tainted by shame. 'Yep. I didn't want to tell what happened to him, and we grew apart.', he says. 'I moved to another district. But it didn't leave me alone. I couldn't bring it in me to leave the North. Not that long ago, I decided to tell him. Little did I know that...'

'I made a contract in the meantime.', Tsumugi shrugs. 'It did not leave me alone either. I asked that in case Tasuku would return, I would be confident enough to face him. And it's just as said as it was done. He told me what happened. However...'

'Before I did so, I met a man called Reni Kamikizaka.'

That name seems to wake Hisoka up. 'Reni...', he suddenly speaks. You and Azuma gasp from the reaction. 'That _something_...called his name...' And then, he slips back into sleep.

You gaze at Tasuku and Tsumugi with a puzzled look. 'Something?'

Tsumugi makes a throw-away gesture. 'Go on, Tasuku.'

'He told me things I don't want to repeat, because they are too suggestive.', Tasuku sighs. 'But he drew me in. And before I knew it, he gave me the collar I bet you saw on me. I don't know the details, but I felt dark energy slip into my mind.'

'⌜I knew it!⌟' Lappland shouts with her slightly maniac voice, courtesy of Asami Imai. You ignore her.

'...what's up with her...?' Tasuku frowns as he looks at the for him strange floating wolf girl with black patches on her skin.

Itaru smiles. 'Nothing out of the ordinary. Don't worry. Go on, please.'

'In hindsight, he probably brainwashed me. Knowing that, he is an evil force trying to disrupt the Factions.', Tasuku holds his finger up again. 'Anyway, I went to Tsumugi. I told him about what happened then. And I offered him redemption. I wanted to glue the broken bond.'

'Now I also know how you got the collar.', Azuma pieces the rest together. 'And that explains why you were antagonizing us.'

'Yes, because Reni made us.' While Tsumugi says that, you see the outline of your base. You tell him that you were looking for him because he was destined to become the Leader, and you guess that Reni knew that.

'He told me to take Hisoka. I don't know, he seems to be of importance to Reni.', Tsumugi looks down at Hisoka. 'I have no idea why.'

You make a suggestion. 'Maybe it's because he can trace down enemies that got away anytime until they're dead.'

Tasuku shrugs. 'Maybe. It's not the priority now.'


	10. Chapter 10

Meanwhile, you enter your base. After a short ride in the elevator, you open the former CEO office that serves as the main room.

'True. I'd happily be your new Leader.', Tsumugi closes his eyes and smiles. He looks at Tasuku. 'Would you be my Deputy, then?'

He smiles. 'Of course. I'll never leave you behind like I did back then again.'

'Then, that's settled.', Azuma says, and you feel the relief dripping from his words. 'We'll give you the rules, and then we're done. Don't worry. It's nothing too out of the ordinary.'

Tasuku closes the door behind you, but you still feel like something is not quite alright. Azuma notices that silence.

'Homare?', he asks while he looks at your Soul Gem. 'Is everything alright?'

But you can't answer him. You feel like icy claws get a firm grip on your mind, and you feel your own consciousness falling into a deep, dark abyss.

' _Finally_.' you speak, though not with your own voice or volition. You realize something has gotten into you, but you do not know what it is. The others flinch as they see that your eyes have turned solid blue.

' _Tsumugi_. _ You know me_. _ You took your rightful place_.' You want to regain control over your body again, and want to force it out. However, it fights back, causing you to convulse a bit. Your movements become jerky, and you try your best not to accidentally hurt someone else.

'What's happening?' Itaru shouts.

'Homare, calm down!' Azuma's priority is, as usually, to keep his teammates in check.

But Tsumugi seems to be calm. 'What do you want?'

Finally, you manage to break through. Right as it seems to want to say something, you take that chance. 'Please, release me from this hell!'

Tsumugi looks you in the eyes with a strict expression on his face. Then, he shouts: 'Go!'

You feel your consciousness getting back into its rightful body. 'Ahh...' you breathe out loudly of relief. 

'What was that?' Itaru's hand is still glued to his chest.

'Why didn't you do that earlier?' you look at Tsumugi. Your voice is still frantic.

'I wanted to hear what he wanted to say first.'

You frown. 'He? Who is 'he'?' 

'Forget I said anything.' Tsumugi frees himself of your gaze and fixes his one at the ground.

* * *

Somewhere far from the Winter Faction base...

The Yellow Dragon looks outside the window. She sighs. 

'I wonder how long this lasts...' 

She picks up a picture inside a frame standing on the windowsill. 'You make the right decisions. Don't you...our 'guardian angels'.' 

Looking at the four people, hand in hand, She feels a sense of regret as She knows that She has to keep their faces a secret. She carefully strokes Her hand over the four words at the top. Dragon. Peafowl. Tiger. Warrior.

'Although you can't leave this place, I wished I could meet you when you were alive...'

She closes Her eyes. 'I bet _ he _ would have loved that too.' Then, slowly, a smile forms on Her face.


End file.
